Sitting in the audience during the senior awards program at Elizabethtown Area High School (EAHS) on May 18, Emily Bonsall noticed an award in the program for Outstanding Senior in Agriculture Education. "I didn't know that was an award until I read it that night," she recalled. Imagine her surprise when the EAHS senior heard her named called as the winner. "I was honestly really excited," she said. "I was really happy to be awarded the scholarship."

Emily, who is the daughter of Joseph and Pamela Bonsall of Elizabethtown, was a four-year member of the Elizabethtown FFA. She served as chapter vice president during her senior year and chaplain during her junior year. Throughout her high school career, she competed in numerous development events through the FFA chapter, including participating in Senior Prepared Public Speaking, for which she won a gold medal in the state competition in 2021. She earned her Keystone FFA Degree in January.

"Agriculture is my passion," she stated. "I love seeing how I can make a difference in the world by being involved in agriculture." In the fall, she plans to attend Penn State University to major in animal science, with the goal of becoming a beef or dairy nutritionist or to one day have her own beef cattle operation. A member of the Lower Dauphin 4-H Livestock Club, she raises beef and sheep to exhibit at the Elizabethtown Fair and Manheim Farm Show.

Unlike many of her peers in the field, Emily did not grow up on a farm and her parents are not farmers. She developed her interest in agriculture from talking with friends and taking classes that sparked her passion. She found people to house animals for her, including a couple in Middletown that houses her pigs and a family in Elizabethtown that houses her steer and lambs. "I love raising livestock because I love seeing the outcome of something," she remarked. "I like raising a steer and seeing it grow. I love how it feels to finish my chores for the day. It's very rewarding knowing you can provide for others with what you're doing, and you can make a difference."

In addition to her agricultural interests, Emily participated on the high school cross-country and rifle teams for all four years and was a member of the Bible club for three years. She is also involved in her church youth group.

"Emily has grown so much from a shy, unsure freshman to a confident and enthusiastic senior," said Mark Anderson, Elizabethtown FFA chapter adviser. "She is always ready to step up and advocate for agriculture and encourage younger FFA members to try something challenging."

The Outstanding Senior in Agriculture Education scholarship is sponsored by the Elizabethtown Area Grange 2076. According to a press release, the annual scholarship recognizes a graduating senior for exceptional achievement in agricultural studies. Established in 1867, the National Grange is a family-oriented fraternal organization dedicated to the betterment of rural America through community service, education, grassroots legislative action and fellowship.